One jacket - five styles. Making full use of your wardrobe with Sarah Gilfillan and an M&S tweed jacket

As a stylist, Sarah Gilfillan works with clients to review their existing clothes and revives little-used items by suggesting new and different uses. We thought this would be a useful idea for readers and have applied it to a reasonably-priced Marks & Spencer grey herringbone jacket. We agreed that its colour and style make it the perfect for this project. The middle-aged or older man will find plenty of inspiration here for rejuvenating their wardrobes.

The herringbone tweed jacket has been a useful item for decades, as stylish men as diverse as Gianni Agnelli and Steve McQueen (above) have shown. It's ideal for casual wear, but we feel it also, in its grey/black form, has potential to be useful for smart and even formal events. 

I'll hand over to Sarah to comment on the five looks she has styled after rummaging through my wardrobe. (To make use yourself of Sarah's styling services see Sartoria Lab).

Outfit 1 - Cream sweater and jeans

Outfit 1

Sarah Gilfillan writes: 

I've always loved these vintage fisherman's type sweaters and when I discovered this old Royal Navy submariner's jumper while raiding David's wardrobe, I wanted to use it as the basis to our first outfit. I like the juxtaposition of a casual sweater like this with some tailoring, but the grey herringbone texture of the jacket means they're still in keeping with each other. The dark slim cut of jeans, worn with a small turn-up, keeps the look modern and shows off this great pair of boots. The gold toned pocket square was chosen to pick up on their colour and adds a nice little kick to the neutrals. We finished it off with a chic and super soft toning grey scarf.

Jacket: Marks & Spencer (from 2013). Scarf: The Merchant Fox. Pocket Square: bought by Grey Fox on Lake Como, Italy. Jeans: The Jean Machine. Boots: Loake Dovedale.

Outfit 2 - White shirt and navy trousers 

Outfit 2

Super classy, non?! A classic look when worn with navy trousers, we've dressed the jacket up here with a double cuff white shirt. It gives a sharp contrast which adds formality, and the double cuff allows you to sport a dashing pair of cufflinks, further formalising the look.

We've chosen a grey wool tie which tones in well with the herringbone of the jacket and adds a quiet elegance to the look. Using a stylised 3-point fold on the white pocket square continues the formal feel and polished black brogues finish off the look perfectly.

Shirt and tie: Marks & Spencer. Trousers from a suit by TM Lewin. Pocket square: Mr Porter. Shoes: Charles Tyrwhitt.  

Outfit 3 - Pink shirt and burgundy chinos

To contrast well with the neutral grey of the jacket and give it a smart/casual look, we chose tonal shades of a light pink shirt and burgundy chinos. The button down detail of the shirt keeps it on the casual side of smart/casual, and this is continued with the choice of a burgundy & blue knit tie. (This is a vintage one that David cleverly hung on to from first time round - right back in fashion now!) Along with the toning (never exactly matching) pocket square, it brings the colour of the trousers into the top of the outfit. Navy suede shoes echo the casualness of the rest of the outfit.

Shirt: Tripl Stitched. Tie: vintage. Pocket Square: vintage Liberty's. Chinos: Paul Smith 2013. Shoes: Bodileys.

Outfit 4 - Blue polo neck sweater and jeans

This outfit was David's favourite. The simplicity of his fine knit roll neck in deep periwinkle and dark jeans makes a great backdrop for the texture of the grey herringbone. We added the orange pocket square and matching socks to create some focus to the outfit and which keep it looking modern and fresh. I really like the retro-style tortoiseshell glasses which give a nod to current trends, and you can never really go wrong with classic brown suede brogues. It's an outfit you could pretty much wear anywhere.

Polo-neck sweater: Uniqlo. Glasses: Scarlett of Soho. Pocket square: Duchamp. Socks: London Sock Co. Shoes: Cheaney x Mr Porter. Jeans, as above.

Outfit 5 - Fair Isle knit and cords

Herringbone and cords to together like love and marriage, don't you think?! We wanted to include an outfit that had a country-ish feel, so went for earthy toned cords, and a Fair Isle knit which we then teamed with a denim shirt to keep it from looking "fusty". The wool tie with a hare print fits in with our country style, and the paisley pocket square echoes the colour. Brogues originally had holes punched in them so the water could drain from the shoe when walking through boggy countryside, so of course they are a fitting accompaniment to this outfit.

Shirt: Hentsch Man. Fair Isle sweater: Drake's. Pocket square: vintage. Tie: Cordings. Cords: Massimo Dutti 2013. Shoes: Loake Otterburn (link as above).

Sarah's pick of grey herringbone tweed jackets. Please mention us to suppliers:

Beams + at Trunk Clothiers

Man 1924 at Trunk Clothiers

Paul Smith at Matches

Gant

Oliver Spencer at Liberty
Marks & Spencer

For more on the vintage submariner's jersey, see my post here.

This is not a sponsored post. If you would like to see your products included in future styling posts of this sort, please contact us.

Style tips for the older man: Sarah Gilfillan advises the shorter-legged man

A Reader Asks.... Dear Grey Fox,

I always have trouble purchasing jeans and trousers [pants for our US readers]. I have short legs and everything I purchase seems to highlight this. Are there jeans or trouser brands that have a slightly higher waist or is there a fashion term that I need to look out for? Any information gratefully received. 

Best wishes 

Bruce 

Scott Schuman, The Sartorialist, shorter than average and here showing how to wear jeans. Image Lee Oliveira

Sarah Gilfillan, stylist, of SartoriaLab replies:

Dear Bruce,

I'm answering your question on behalf of Grey Fox as I'm afraid he has very long legs!

When someone looks at you they literally look you up and down, until they come to any distractions or horizontal lines which draw the eye from side to side. Therefore, in order to make your legs look longer, you need to keep the eye running up and down the leg - preferably from the very top of the waistband to the tips of the toes - with no interruptions. Horizontal lines include stitching details/ pockets/changes in colour/ whiskering or the width of the trousers.

Paul Smith jeans

Here are some ideas on how you can achieve that and what to look for:

Casual 

As you mentioned, choose jeans with a slightly higher waist like these ones: Armani J31, Levi 501, Levi 522, APC, Paul Smith . Look for jeans that are marked high or mid rise and avoid the ones marked low rise. Choose carefully though as you don't want to look like Simon Cowell and some styles can look dated! 

Darker colours in a clean wash ie: not washed-in or "whiskered" will make your legs look longer so choose a dark indigo and also consider ones with dark stitching instead of the more traditional orange that's used on jeans. By avoiding creating a line across the pockets of the jeans and the hems you can gain a precious few centimetres. And never turn your jeans up - this will immediately shorten your legs.

Wear a slim cut style so as not to widen and therefore shorten the appearance of your legs. For the same reason avoid cargo style pants or shorts with bulky side pockets. Make sure you check the back view when trying jeans on too and don't buy any that have very low slung back pockets as this will also visually shorten your legs.

Wear belts that are a similar colour to your trousers not your top and avoid bright contrasting colours or designs in your belts and shoes. On the top half wear shorter length jackets like a short peacoat or a bomber style, and avoid 3/4 length jackets. Tuck in shirts or ensure they're not too long.

APC

Formal wear

A crisp crease down the centre of your trousers will help to create that all important vertical line. Choose slim or straight leg trousers with no turn-ups which are more fashionable as well as more flattering than pleat fronts. Have your trousers tailored to exactly the right length with a single break.

Try and get shoes that have a tiny bit more of a heel and avoid contrast stitching or brogue-ing if possible which will allow for the eye to travel uninterrupted from the top of the waistband to the toe of your shoe. Avoid squared off or very rounded toes and choose a more flattering almond toe. 

Levi 501s

It can look a little weird if you exactly match your shoes to your trousers but if possible avoid too much of a contrast - e.g: wear a grey suit or trousers with black or dark brown shoes instead of tan ones. 

Wear your blazer or suit jacket a little shorter - fashionable at the moment and also helpful to make your legs appear longer. Have fun with your top half instead and bring the attention to this area. If your body is long in comparison with your legs then it will shorten your body if you wear horizontal lines and details such as pocket squares, tie clips and interesting ties like this one.

I hope that helps!

Sarah

See more advice on men's style at Sartoria Lab and read more about Sarah Gilfillan, who contributes regularly to Grey Fox here.